What I Am Learning--A Freedom Most Frightening

"Lord, renew my mind"

This faint whisper has become the battle cry.  As I focus on Romans 12:2 as my one verse, its primary purpose is to become my one prayer.  And so I pray that little phrase throughout my day:


Lord, renew my mind.

And I set to work at doing my part.  Renewal requires submission.  Renewal requires rules.  My mind needs restrictions and guidance and a set of yes's and no's

And in God's gracious answer to my prayer he led my rules to Galatians.

I sat up and read it front to back about 2 weeks ago.

I read it again front to back 2 nights ago.

It is intoxicating.

Paul, nay, God plants in Galatians a truth so scandalous it makes my heart race.


We are free.


Yes, we are free.


And I have read Galatians 5:1 before, about being set free for freedom sake, and all the time I praised God for my freedom from my sin (a freedom so real!)...


...but that is not the freedom talked about.


No, we are free from law.


No more does my effort count.  No more am I judged on my ability to be good enough, to be just enough.  No more am I required to align my life with the law of God.  NO!  It is for FREEDOM I have been set free.


Jesus did the work.  Jesus did the righteous living, Jesus did the sacrificial dying, Jesus did the death defying...




...and Jesus still does the sanctifying,  The Spirit, living within is doing the holy-making for me.


I just submit, and find myself lavished in freedom.


No more rules and regulations, just freedom that leads us to living like God.




And this freedom terrifies me.


I know it must be so.  The law, my law, has never kept me close to God before, and it never will.  But...but I just feel like it can't be this easy, this free.


Doesn't freedom naturally lead to anarchy?


Not this freedom.


This freedom dances in the perfection of grace.  It burrows down into the soil of Christ.  It is watered by Spirit...and fruit comes.


Good fruit from freedom.


Shudder my soul with expectancy.